Moringa (Sahjan): The Fast-Growing Drumstick Tree for Jaipur

Sahjan, also called moringa or the drumstick tree, is a fast-growing tree native to north-west India. Its leaves, flowers and pods have been everyday vegetables in Indian homes for generations. It handles heat, dry spells and alkaline soil well, which makes it a practical food tree for Rajasthan.

Photo: "Drumstick tree (93961)" by Anushka10patel, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0), via Wikimedia Commons (cropped)

Before you plant, know that Sahjan is a small-to-medium tree with a light, open crown, not a big shade tree like Neem, Peepal or Bargad.

Quick facts

Scientific name	Moringa oleifera Lam.
Family	Moringaceae (a family with only one genus)
Hindi name	सहजन (Sahjan), सैजन (Saijan), मुनगा (Munga)
Other names	Drumstick tree, Horseradish tree; Shigru / Shobhanjana (Sanskrit)
Height	Usually about 6–10 m
Lifespan	Not well documented
Growth rate	Fast
Water need	Low once established; regular watering in years 1–2
Best planting months in Jaipur	July–August (or February–March)
Jaipur suitability	Good for survival and food; not a large, long-lived shade tree

Why plant Sahjan in Jaipur and Rajasthan

• It is native to India and Pakistan, growing naturally in north-west India.
• It copes with low rainfall. The ICRAF tree database calls it "quite drought tolerant", needing about 500 mm of rain a year. Jaipur gets about 600–650 mm.
• It has been tested in Rajasthan. A 2022–24 trial by Agriculture University Jodhpur in Jalore district (soil pH 8.1) found several varieties grew and yielded well.
• It tolerates alkaline soil, if the soil drains well.

The main risk in Jaipur is frost on young plants. A hard freeze can kill a young Sahjan back to the ground. It usually re-sprouts, but first-winter saplings need protection. Its other weak points are brittle branches and poor tolerance of waterlogging.

How to plant it

When to plant

• Best: July–August (monsoon). The sapling gets 4–5 months to grow before the cold; a bigger plant survives frost better.
• Second-best: February–March, after the frost risk, with regular watering through April–June.
• October is possible but not recommended: the sapling gets only 6–8 warm weeks before winter. If you must, use a large sapling (at least 90 cm), mulch heavily and cover it on cold nights.
• Avoid November–January (cold) and May–June (extreme heat), unless irrigation is reliable.

Step by step

1. Choose a nursery seedling, 45–90 cm tall, with a straight taproot; seed-grown plants stand up to wind better. For a long-term tree, pick a local perennial type, not annual pod-crop varieties such as PKM-1, which are pruned low.
2. Pick a sunny, well-drained spot, never where water collects. Keep it 3–4 m from buildings and away from paths and power lines, because branches can snap.
3. Dig a pit 45 × 45 × 45 cm and refill with soil mixed with 10–15 kg of well-rotted compost or farmyard manure (add neem cake on termite-prone land).
4. Plant at the same depth as in the nursery bag, 5–6 m apart in a grove.
5. Protect it with a tree guard against goats and cattle, and stake it in windy spots; the young stem is fragile.

It can also be grown from seed (2 seeds per pit, 2.5–3 cm deep) or from thick limb cuttings 90–100 cm long.

Care in the first 3 years

Year 1

• Monsoon (Jul–Sep): Make a raised basin so water drains away from the stem. Water about 10 L only after 7–10 days without rain.
• Post-monsoon (Oct–Nov): Mulch 5–8 cm deep with dry grass or leaves. Water about 10 L every 10 days.
• Winter (Dec–Feb): Frost protection is critical. Cover the sapling with a jute or old-cloth hood on nights forecast below about 4 °C. Water lightly every 15–20 days; wet, cold soil invites root rot.
• Spring (Mar–Apr): About 15 L every week.
• Summer (May–Jun): The most critical time. 15–20 L every 4–5 days, morning or evening.

Year 2

Add about 10 kg of farmyard manure in the monsoon. Water every 2–3 weeks after the rains and every 7–10 days in summer. Cover it on very cold nights if still under 2 m. If frost kills the tops, wait until March, then cut back to live wood.

Year 3

Light shaping after the rains; water only in long dry spells. Dropping leaves in a dry spell is normal.

Pests and pruning

Watch for the hairy caterpillar, which can strip the leaves; pick off clusters wearing gloves, as the hairs irritate skin. For a tree form, remove only crossing or damaged branches.

Benefits

Food

The leaves, tender pods and flowers are traditional vegetables in India. According to the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (ICMR-NIN), per 100 g:

• Leaves: protein 6.41 g, fibre 8.21 g, calcium 314 mg, iron 4.56 mg, vitamin C 108 mg.
• Pods (drumsticks): protein 2.62 g, fibre 6.83 g, calcium 33.3 mg, vitamin C 71.9 mg.

It is a nutritious food, not a cure for any illness.

Bees, soil and shade

The fragrant white flowers draw carpenter bees and sunbirds, and flowering on and off through the year gives honey bees nectar over a long period. Green leaves make a useful mulch. The open crown gives light, dappled shade and works as a windbreak or hedge.

Other uses

The seed oil ("ben oil") is used in cooking and cosmetics, and powdered seed is a traditional way to clear muddy water. Branches are sometimes lopped for camels and cattle. The wood is soft, fit only for light construction and firewood.

Cultural significance

In Ayurveda, Sahjan is known as Shigru or Shobhanjana and is traditionally used in Ayurveda for a range of conditions. Drumsticks and leaves are everyday vegetables in many Indian cuisines (for example, in sambar in the south), with local names in about 15 Indian languages. It has no significant role in religious worship.

Cautions and safety

• Do not eat the roots or bark. The leaves, tender pods and flowers are widely eaten, and a 2015 safety review found no adverse effects reported in human studies of the leaves at normal food amounts. But the roots contain a harmful alkaloid, and the gum is traditionally described as causing miscarriage. Avoid roots, bark and gum, especially during pregnancy.
• Animals: Cattle and camels eat the leaves, but seed meal proved toxic to rabbits. There is no information for dogs and cats.
• Brittle branches can snap in storms, and the tree rots in waterlogged soil.

Sahjan is native here and not a concern as an invasive in Rajasthan. Its IUCN status is Least Concern.

---

Plant a Sahjan in someone's name with GreenEye: Gift a Tree